Which pillar will hold up your scrum?
The final day of voting is upon us and you can help to wrap up the rugby365.com Readers XV of 2011 by selecting your favourite powerful scrummager on the loosehead side. Which of our three front row giants impressed the most this year?
A quality loosehead is an important element to any scrum, as he must keep the opposition tighthead at pay and drive his side forward.
There are three big scrum pillars to choose from, the first of which is France’s strongman Thomas Domingo, who put his team on the front foot during this year’s Six Nations so impressively.
Domingo hasn’t always been a first choice in the French pack, but despite their poor Six Nations he came through with his reputation intact and sent out a message regarding who should be wearing the No.1 jersey.
New Zealand’s Wyatt Crockett was chosen by rugby365.com as the best loosehead in Super Rugby and the Tri-Nations this year, and it came a major shock when Graham Henry left him out of the All Blacks World Cup squad.
The 28-year-old Crusaders prop will have felt hard done by not to reach the World Cup, having done everything that was asked with him, and his omission in favour of Tony Woodcock could have cost New Zealand dearly.
Crockett gave tighthead props nightmares this season and also produced the goods around the park making tackles and demonstrating some slick handling skills for a big man.
The final contender is South African player of the year from 2010 Gurthrö Steenkamp, who could have been in the running for the award again this year had it not been for a number of injury setbacks.
Steenkamp was selected at loosehead in the rugby365.com World Cup XV, where he was a strong ball carrier and a pillar of strength in the scrums.
He will be sadly missed by the Boks if he isn’t recalled from France next year, and his class is underlined by the fact that he was able to keep the Beast (Tendai Mtawarira) out of the Springboks starting XV more often than not.
There is still time to cast your vote for the best:
15: Fullback – (Israel Dagg, Kurtley Beale, Andrea Masi)
14: Right wing – (James O’Connor, Chris Ashton, Rod Davies)
13: Outside centre – (Brian O’Driscoll, Jaque Fourie, Conrad Smith)
12: Inside centre – (Sonny Bill Williams, Ma’a Nonu, Jamie Roberts, Jonathan Davies)
11: Left wing – (Digby Ioane, Shane Williams)
10: Flyhalf – (Dan Carter, Quade Cooper, Rhys Priestland, Toby Flood)
9: Scrumhalf – (Will Genia, Mike Phillips, Morgan Parra)
8: Eighthman – (Kieran Read, Sergio Parisse, Imanol Harinordoquy, Radike Samo)
7: Flank – (Sam Warburton, David Pocock, Beau Robinson, Richie McCaw)
6: Flank – (Sean O’Brien, Scott Higginbotham, Heinrich Brüssow, Jerome Kaino)
5: Lock – (James Horwill, Ali Williams, Victor Matfield, Tom Palmer)
4: Lock – (Brad Thorn, Richie Gray)
3: Tighthead prop – (Owen Franks, Martin Castrogiovanni, Nicolas Mas)
2: Hooker – (Keven Mealamu, Bismarck du Plessis, William Servat)
